The Rajasthan Royals (RR) might soon have Rahul Dravid as their assistant coach while he is currently thinking about coming back to IPL, even though he left his coaching role at Team India after a surprising win in the T20 World Cup 2024. It was reported by the Times of India that the role of Director of Cricket for Kumar Sangakkara is surrounded with uncertainty hence new options may be sought by the franchise thereby in terms of the same. Dravid has a good relationship with RR, having previously captained and mentored the franchise.
“Talks are going on between RR and Dravid, and an announcement in this regard is round the corner,” a reliable source told TOI.
When Dravid finished his playing days with the IPL, he was appointed as a mentor for both the India ‘A’ team as well as for the U-19 squad at the same time serving as head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA). In December 2021, he assumed charge of Team India as their head coach steering them to three ICC finals.
Despite having one of the most balanced sides in the competition, Rajasthan Royals failed to win the title. In 2022 mega auction was spectacular and RR had been tipped off marking a watershed moment, but they ended their three-year cycle with only having one appearance in the finals and one in the playoffs.
Rajasthan cruised through the first half of the season even in the recent 2024 edition only to miss out on the top-two spot after losing several matches in a row and then were eventually knocked out by the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Qualifier 2 (Q2).
“I don’t want to think too far ahead” – This is what Rahul Dravid shared about his future following the 2024 T20 World Cup
Dravid was to stay coach until the 2023 World Cup when he managed to lead Team India to the 2024 T20 World Cup. However, when the duration for this came to a close, he did not re-apply for head coach of Team India leaving Gautam Gambhir as the head coach instead.
“I will be able to move on quickly from this win, next week I will be unemployed (laughs). I don’t want to think too far ahead, but yes, I hope, I will be able to move on. I think that’s what life is all about,” Dravid said after Team India’s T20 World Cup glory (via Livemint).
A mega-auction will be conducted before IPL 2025, but there is no clarity yet on the number of retentions and the purse for the franchises.
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